President-elect Donald Trump has signaled his intention to try to abolish the Education Department, long considered wasteful in a nation where public education is provided locally. If he were to succeed — a long shot, to be sure — state and local education overseers would have to step up to ensure quality education. On this front, the news is not promising.
The commonsense goal of ensuring that high school graduates have mastered key subjects has fallen out of fashion. This month’s results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study are the latest bad news on that front. U.S. scores fell steeply in math. One possible explanation is our increasing reluctance to test students at all. The New York State Board of Regents, which historically administered tests in English, math, and social studies, for the coveted “regents” diploma, has signaled that it will…
